Freestone · Limestone · Tyrol / Vorarlberg, AT

Lech

Lech near Forchach

One of Austria's last near-natural large rivers, flowing wild through the Lechtal valley in Tyrol.

Today · A proper day on the water
Sculpin Streamer
Forecast · Today
A proper day on the water
A proper day for it. Work the seams with an upstream nymph, switch to the dry when they show.
55% projected
Today's fly
Sculpin Streamer
Sculpin Streamer
Conditions on the water · Today
Live gauge
Level
Steady
2.11 m
Water temp12.3°C
ClarityClear
Weather18°C
WindN 9 km/h
Pressure1022 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead0.2 mm

The nearest gauge doesn't record temperatures, so we've estimated it — defer to the river keeper's advice.

Water temperature for Grayling
Ideal
12°C est.ideal 4–14°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Grayling
When
Midday window — grayling feed best from late morning into early afternoon.
Where
Work runs and glides — grayling shoal in the bottom third of the water column.
Method
Tight-line nymph the bottom third with weighted patterns.
Kit
10 ft #3 rod, floating line, long leader to 4 lb fluoro for nymphs.
Why this works
Excellent — conditions well-balanced, with water temperature particularly in your favour. Grayling is active in the cooler margins of the season.
Likely species
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 11am

12pm(now) — Autumn Needle Fly

Stage: Creeping nymphsApproach: Heavy nymphActivity: 72%
Also:Autumn Olive61%Daddy Long Legs49%
Peak emergence window6 food groups active

Peak activity at 11am — Autumn Needle Fly (Autumn Needle Fly, Peak emergence window)

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 2 guilds as a supporter.

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14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.

Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 3 as a supporter.

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14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.

Evidence
Survey-backed · regionalHigh confidence

Backed by regional invertebrate surveys; no sampling on this exact reach yet.

Through the year
0–3 scale · September highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
1
Grayling seasonSeason
2
2
1
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
Alpine RhithrogenaHatch
2
3
3
2
Sculpin / Baitfish (Rivers)Hatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
March BrownHatch
2
3
2
Late March BrownHatch
2
3
2

Numbers are intensity 0 (none) to 3 (peak) — a guide, not a guarantee.

Ranked for today
Grayling fly box

A classic alpine trout and grayling box. Nymphs, dry flies and streamers all belong, with the season often starting later in alpine regions.

Small Perdigón
Small Perdigón
Hook 14–18 · Fly
in season · matches water height
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Tyrolean Lechtal river
  • Fischerkarte + permit required; check local beat access and protected sections.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 5
Gallery · 2
  1. Lech near Forchach
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

One of Austria's last near-natural large rivers, flowing wild through the Lechtal valley in Tyrol. Grayling, brown trout, and huchen in clear limestone water beneath dramatic mountain scenery. Good wading access in the valley sections. Snowmelt affects summer flows, but the river maintains character throughout the season.

  • Limestone
Water quality (WFD)
  • Ecology: Good
  • Chemical: Failing to achieve good
What this classification means

WFD re-coded 2026-09-14 after the pin audit: matched by point query against EEA WISE WFD2022_SurfaceWaterBody (the river water body whose line lies 3 m from the venue pin). Status: WISE 2022 (3rd RBMP) ecological class 2 = Good, chemical 'failing to achieve good' (Austria-wide in the 2022 cycle). Prior id ATOK301630005 (High) described a different reach.

WFD classification · ATOK302370011

The full read · show the working · for Grayling · confidence 90%
How the 90 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature100 × 28%28.0
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity85 × 18%15.3
Feeding Time80 × 13%10.4
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity71 × 12%8.5
Conditions total= 85
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitysurvey-backed invertebrate datasurvey
Directions
Seasons & zones
  • Trout 1 May → 30 September
  • Grayling 16 May → 31 March

    Austrian grayling (Äsche) rules are state and fishery specific. Common pattern: closed 1 January – 31 May (spawning protection); open from June. Individual fishery seasons often end October/November. Always check the local Fischereikarte and specific water permit. Salzburg-area waters commonly show 1 June or 16 May opener.

    Season dates are set at state or regional level — confirm the local rules.

    Prime sport 1 August → 31 October

  • Hucho October → February
Related guides
Booking & contacts